Sabotage in Ukraine, and Putin cynically using the fight against ISIS to gain concessions over EU sanctions.

In his article about the current Unkrainian Crimean blackout, Leonid Bershidsky (right), the founding editor of Russia's top business daily, Vedomosti, the creator of the opinion website Slon.ru, who also ran the business book arm of Russia's biggest book publisher, Eksmo, and worked as managing director at the Russian KIT Finance investment bank,is finally revealing where his sympathies really lay.

He defines Ukrainian civil society as a,

"... powerful, unruly civil society [which] is extremely sensitive to hypocrisy. Since the 2014 "Revolution of Dignity," it is also prone to taking matters into its own hands." (Bloomberg View : Nov 23, 2015) (my emphasis)

Notice that he is brushing the whole of Ukrainian civil society with the actions being taken by Crimean Tartars to economically blockade their Ukrainian Crimea that has been invaded, annexed, and absorbed into Russia by Putin.

Let us recall that Dmitri Medvedev, Putin's glove puppet, on 31st March, 2014, boldly stated that,

"Our aim is to make the peninsula as attractive as possible to investors, so that it can generate sufficient income for its own development," he said, in a meeting that included Crimean leaders and was broadcast live on Russian state television.

In comments that made clear Russia had no plans to relinquish the region, he set out moves to increase wages for 140,000 state workers in Crimea, boost pensions, turn the region into a tourism hub, protect energy links, end reliance on Ukraine for water and improve its roads, railways and airports." (EurActiv : 01 Apr 2014) (my emphasis)

Besides the bribes paid to state workers and pensioners in Ukrainian Crimea, not even the basic groundwork for realising these dreams of both his and Putin's has materialised.

Now Putin has,

"....blamed Ukrainian nationalists and Crimean Tatar activists for the pylon damage, calling it "an act of terrorism"." (BBC News : 23 November 2015) and "has warned of retaliatory measures." (my emphasis)

Let us also remind ourselves that, as Aaron Korewa reports,

 "Euromaidan Press recently published a list of the Kremlin's other separatist projects in Ukraine. One of the most active organizations is the Kharkiv Partisans, which operates in northeast Ukraine. The group has claimed responsibility for several IED attacks on both people and infrastructure in the area. Its leader, Oleg Sobchenko, (right) lives in Russia and claims to be a Soviet Army veteran who served on the Afghan border." (Atlantic Council : November 11, 2015)

The current blackout in Crimea was, as Ivan Nechepurenko and Neil MacFarquhar report, caused by

" ... power lines [that] were knocked down by saboteurs on Sunday, forcing millions of residents to live without electricity." (New York Times : NOV. 23, 2015) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, that

"Ukraine's state energy company, Ukrenergo, said the damage to the pylons was caused by "shelling or the use of explosive devices". (ibid BBC News)

Is it a co-incidence that this sabotage has occurred just as Ukraine's decision to implement a free trade agreement with the EU comes into force on 1 January 2016? 

It is also no secret that Putin is positively apopletic with rage at the looming implementation of this trade deal between the EU and Ukraine.

"Russia is angry at Ukraine's decision to implement a free trade agreement with the EU on 1 January 2016." (ibid BBC News)

 And as Andrew Roth (left) reports,

"Russia is set to introduce sanctions banning the import of most Ukrainian food products starting in January. Moscow has described the move as retaliation for Ukraine joining European Union sanctions against Russia this year." (The Washington Post : November 2, 2015) (my emphasis) 

To which,

"Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Monday declared that Ukraine will retaliate against the planned Russian sanctions.

“Each Russian decision to impose an embargo against Ukraine will have an analogous Ukrainian decision about the introduction of an embargo against Russia,” Yatsenyuk said in a television appearance. (ibid Andrew Roth) (my emphasis)

All of this should be seen against the backdrop of :

(a) Putin desperately trying to re-enter the world stage by setting himself up as the leader in the vanguard of battling ISIS in Syria and Iraq

(b) Putin hoping that this stance of his will gain him concessions in the proposed extension of the EU sanctions that he brought upon the head of the Russian people after his invasion of eastern Ukraine, and his annexation of Ukrainian Crimea


As Mariella Vitureau and Vaidotas Beniusis report,

"Several Eastern European countries are becoming increasingly worried that the West may abandon Ukraine in return for Russian backing in Syria, as Paris, Moscow and Washington develop closer ties in the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group.
...
"Even if it's not officially on the table, Moscow hopes that if the anti-IS coalition sees the light of day, pressure in the case of Ukraine will lessen and a certain number of countries will say, since we're fighting together, the sanctions shouldn't be renewed," Polish analyst Wojciech Lorenz told AFP." (AFP : Yahoo News :November 23, 2015) (my emphasis)

Let us remind ourselves that on September 7, 2015, long before the tragic events in Paris last Friday (November 20, 2015),

"French President Francois Hollande said Monday that he will propose such a meeting [among the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Germany in the coming weeks to resolve tensions around eastern Ukraine, in hopes of eventually lifting EU sanctions] in Paris ahead of the U.N. General Assembly later this month.

He said there has been progress in recent weeks in implementing a troubled February peace deal, and said if that continues, "then I will argue for lifting the sanctions." (AP : Yahoo : September 7, 2015) (my emphasis)

And as the "comradeship" between Putin and Hollande grows to fever pitch as they join their forces in the fight against ISIS,

"Lithuania will not take part in any new coalition in which Russia will participate or would like to participate," President Dalia Grybauskaite (right) said Friday.

"To this day Russia is occupying the territory of one country and committing acts of war in two countries, Ukraine and Georgia," she added in the western resort town of Palanga after meeting with her Baltic counterparts.

 

The Latvian foreign ministry for its part said Friday that "the Baltic countries should continue to constantly remind the world about the illegal annexation of Crimea."

"The fight against terrorists and resolving the conflict in Syria should not be at the expense of Ukraine." (ibid Mariella Vitureau and Vaidotas Beniusis) (my emphasis)

The situation in BOTH Ukraine and Syria is ramping up.

Putin is cynically using the situation in Syria to obtain concessions over Ukraine. 

Which poses the sixty-four dollar question.

Who stands to gain the most from the blowing up of those electricity pylons in Ukraine, that has left Ukrainian Crimea bereft of electricity?

(to be continued)

Hot off the news .....

"Russian president has accused Turkey of "stabbing Russia in the back", as reports say two pilots have been killed by Turkmen forces in Syria" (The Telegraph :Tuesday 24 November 2015)

At the same time, Hollande was meeting President Obama at the White House.

"President Obama hosts French President Francois Hollande at the White House Tuesday, and the two leaders will discuss how to ramp up the international coalition against ISIS extremists after the deadly attacks in Paris." (Ali Weinberg : ABC News : Nov 23, 2015)

How are they going to respond to Putin who declared,

"The loss of our aircraft comes in the context of our fight agaisnt terrorism. But today’s loss was a blow in the back by the accomplices of terrorists. I can’t qualify this in any other way. Our plane was downed over Syrian territory by an air to air missile from a turkish F16. It crashed inside Syria, 4 km from the Turkish border. 

"At the time it was engaged it was at 6000m altitude and one kilometre from the Turkish border. In any case our pilots never threatened the territory of Turkey. This is obvious."
...
"We will analyse everything in detail and the serious consequences including for Russia’s relationship with Turkey." (ibid The Telegraph) ( my emphasis)

Bear in mind that Turkey is a member of NATO.

(to be continued)